Byzantium and Bulgaria: How an Empire Created its Greatest Threat

Conor Roan
History 443: Senior Seminar in European History
23 December 2015

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Abstract
The Byzantine Empire is typically discussed in regard to its conflict with the Arab
Caliphates that dominated the Middle East, especially when one considers the fact that
Byzantium was ultimately conquered by the Ottoman Turks. There is a strong religious
connotation attached to these conflicts, and they were but one of many religious struggles that
permeated the Middle Ages. However, this paper will discuss what could be considered the most
important series of conflicts that Byzantium was ever a part of: its centuries long rivalry and
warfare with the Tsardom of Bulgaria. For while Byzantium fought for control of Anatolia and
Syria with the Caliphates, they battled for their continued existence far closer to the center of the
Empire against the Bulgarians, facing numerous sieges of Constantinople, the seat of the Empire.
Upon review and analysis of Byzantine texts such as the Theophanes Continuatus, as well as a
comparison to the Bulgarian Common Law and the Byzantine Ecloga, it will become clear that,
although Byzantium sought to create a satellite in the Balkans to serve as a buffer against further
nomadic incursions into Imperial territory, they failed in their efforts. Furthermore, despite using
practices that had long sustained the Empire against prior enemies, such as diplomatic
manipulation, and new practices, like religious assimilation, Byzantium failed to solidify its hold
over the Bulgarian state. Instead, Bulgarian rulers were able to take these efforts of diplomatic
and religious manipulation and adapt to them, allowing Bulgaria to dominate the Balkans and
challenge Byzantium for the title of Roman Emperor.

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Historians have discussed at great lengths the conflicts between the Byzantine Empire
and the various Arab Caliphates that in one way or another controlled the majority of the Middle
East with the exception of the Anatolian Peninsula. These conflicts are generally regarded as the
main talking point in regards to Byzantine foreign policy discourse, perhaps because of their
religious and cultural nature. Yet, despite the seemingly continuous holy wars that gripped the
Empire for hundreds of years, there was perhaps an even greater threat to the survival of
Byzantium, one that lay just northwest of Thrace. The Tsardom of Bulgaria, established around
681 AD, would prove to be substantial menace to the Byzantine Empire not because of its
differences, but rather because of how similar the two nations grew to become. Historians such
as George Ostrogorsky, John Julius Norwich, and Warren Treadgold have discussed the growth
of Bulgarian power in the Balkans and subsequent conflict with the Byzantines as a matter of
proximity; that is, the Bulgarians were bound to come into conflict with the Empire due to
competition for the same resources based upon how close the two nations were geographically.
However, other historians, like Edward N. Luttwak and Collin Wells, have asserted that it was in
fact the Byzantines themselves who set into motion the events that allowed the Bulgarians to
settle south of the Danube. This, coupled with the influence the Empire attempted to exert over
Bulgaria, provided Bulgaria with the means to forge a national identity independent of
Byzantium, as well as challenge the Empire for dominance in the region. Thus, despite the fact
that these two states were at odds with each other for the better part of three hundred years, the
Byzantine Empires desire to spread its culture and religion played a major role in the formation
and expansion of the Tsardom of Bulgaria.
The state of the Balkan region during the late seventh century is a central component of
the argument of those historians who advocate for proximity. Each of the three proximitists, so

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to speak, make reference to the general lack of Byzantine administration in the Balkans during
the latter part of the sixth century. For example, George Ostrogorsky, in History of the Byzantine
State, asserts that the Balkan Peninsula during the reign of Constantine IV (r. 668 AD 685 AD)
was inhabited by seven Slav tribes, and as Byzantine power waned and cities in the region
shrank, Imperial authority was effectively non-existent.1 Thus, according to Ostrogorsky, it was
an easy task for the Bulgarians to make the Slavs their tributaries as they met no resistance, and a
fledgling Bulgarian kingdom began to take form in what roughly correlates to the
Roman/Byzantine province of Moesia.2 Following a failed military expedition led by the
Emperor himself, the Byzantine Empire was forced to recognize the existence of the Bulgarian
kingdom, and was forced, in addition, to pay an annual tribute, to ensure that the kingdom would
not threaten to push further into Byzantine territory. However, due to the fact that the Bulgarians
were, in effect, living on land that the Byzantines still considered to be theirs, the Byzantines
would stage numerous efforts to reconquer their lost territory, beginning under Justinian II in
688. 3
John Julius Norwich, another proximitist, argues in Byzantium: The Apogee, the second
in his three volume series on Byzantium, that the conflict between Byzantium and Bulgaria was
in fact a matter of proximity. Norwich states that the Bulgarians entered into Byzantine territory
that was scarcely governed by the Empire at this point, and was occupied by Slavs.4 The lack of
Imperial administration and authority in the Balkans grew so severe that, in order to combat the
slavicisation of the Balkan Peninsula, particularly in the thema of Hellas5, the Emperor

George Ostrogorsky, History of the Byzantine State (New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1969.), 126.
Ibid., 126.
3
Ostrogorsky, Byzantine States, 126, 130.
4
John Julius Norwich, Byzantium: The Apogee (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1991), 6.
5
The thema (pl. themata) was an administrative units of the Byzantine Empire first established by the Emperor
Constans II around 652. The themata were, as Treadgold describes, simply the mobile armies of the previous
period settled in specific districts, also called themata, which they served to defend.(p. 315). The Byzantine armies
2

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Nikephoros I (802-811) enacted a resettlement of the province by Greek speakers from across the
Empire.6 This move was sparked by the proximity of the growing Bulgarian state and the ease
with which it had subdued the Slavs in the northern Byzantine territories as well as the fear that
they would look to expand southward with the same ease. According to Norwich, one huge
Slavic block, united and belligerent, extending from the Danube to Cape Matapan, was not a
possibility that the Byzantines cared to contemplate and thus they took measure to try and
protect what they could from the threat that existed so close to them.7
In A History of Byzantine State and Society, Warren Treadgold takes a proximitist
approach similar to those of his previously mentioned colleagues. In his depiction of the
Bulgarian excursion and ultimate settlement inside Byzantine territory, Treadgold, like
Ostrogorsky before him, highlights the failed efforts of Constantine IV to drive the Bulgarians
from beyond the Danube. He states that, although initially successful in pushing the Bulgarians
back across the Danube, the Byzantines gave chase. Once a stalemate had developed beyond the
Danube, the Byzantines were then forced to turn back, and during the retreat came under heavy
attack from the Bulgarians.8 As Constantine IV fled back into Byzantine territory, the Bulgarians
followed, and it became clear that only a full-scale campaign outside imperial territory could
dislodge them. He was thus forced to make peace with the Bulgarians, in which he agreed to pay
them tribute. In addition, he was forced to recognize the land the Bulgarians had occupied as an

had a tendency to both disperse and revolt following their defeat at the hands of the Arabs during the wars of Arab
expansion. As a way to combat these tendencies, and also to supplement payment for the armies, the armies were
settled into themata and granted land to live on and cultivate. Initially, these themata were large and general, but
further emperors would divide and reorganize them accordingly as the Empires territory fluctuated. In 686, the
Emperor Justinian II reorganized the Carabisian thema, which up until that time had comprised of all of Greece and
the Aegean Islands, into the thema of Hellas, which comprised of the central part of Greece, and the now smaller
thema of Carabisian, which contained the Aegean Islands.
6
Ibid., 7.
7
Norwich, The Apogee, 6.
8
Warren Treadgold, A History of Byzantine State and Society (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1997), 328.

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independent Bulgarian realm.9 However, by 713 AD, the Bulgarians were raiding as far south as
Thrace, and even threatening Constantinople itself.10 Treadgold, like Ostrogorsky and Norwich
before him, depicts the Byzantine-Bulgarian conflicts as something purely due to the general
proximity between the two states. Following Constantine IVs concessions to Bulgaria, the two
states were bound to come into conflict, simply because they would be competing for resources
in the area. With the Danube serving as a natural border, there was no better place for the
Bulgarians to advance than southward, where they would meet little resistance due to the
breakdown of Imperial administration under pressure from the aforementioned Slavic migrations
into the Balkans. Logically, it is easy to say that the two states would be inevitably drawn into
conflict with each other; they were simply too close to not war with one another. However, there
are historians who view the conflict with much more depth and complexity.
Other historians have asserted that it was not proximity, but rather Byzantine attempts to
influence Bulgaria that brought these two nations into conflict. For example, Edward N.
Luttwak, in his book The Grand Strategy of the Byzantine Empire, asserts that Bulgaria was in
large degree a Byzantine creation.11 Whilst the Avars12 were laying siege to Constantinople in
626 AD, the Byzantines bribed a tribe of Turks residing just west of the Volga River to migrate
westward and attack the Avars. This Turkic tribe, known as the Bulghars, eventually succeeded
in defeating the Avars, and in the power vacuum that followed, the Bulghars rose to
prominence.13 The Byzantines would continue to try and manipulate the Bulgarians to meet their
own needs, even after Constantine IVs defeat at the hands of Bulgaria in 679 AD. Justinian II,

Treadgold, Byzantine State, 329.

Ibid., 343.
11
Edward N. Luttwak, The Grand Strategy of the Byzantine Empire (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2009),
170.
12
A Hunnic tribe.
13
Ibid., 172.
10

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after being deposed, fled to the Bulghars and sought their help in restoring him to the Imperial
throne. In return, he promised the Bulghars more land to the south of Moesia, by this time the
center of their growing kingdom. However, after reclaiming his throne, Justinian II reneged on
this earlier promise and marched against the Bulghars.14 Thus, the Byzantines tried their very
best to diplomatically manipulate the Bulgarians to suit their needs. It will, however, become
blatantly clear that Byzantium was woefully unsuccessful in these attempts, and instead helped to
foster a nation which would challenge them for dominance in the Balkans.
Having failed to successfully manipulate the Bulgarians via their diplomacy, the
Byzantines then turned to another method of exerting some sort of influence over their western
neighbors. In Sailing from Byzantium, Collin Wells writes about how the Byzantines utilized
religion as a method of influence. Under the Patriarch Photius, the Byzantine Empire sought to
convert the Bulgarians to Orthodox Christianity, in an attempt to create an Orthodox Christian
ally in the Balkans, where Byzantine influence and military strength was weak. This was in part
due to the realization by the Byzantines that a buffer state was needed in the region in order to
fend of the growing threat of the Russians.15 The Byzantines also sought to stymie the influence
of the Western Church, and they saw the potential for an Orthodox Slavic region that could, in
theory, serve as a buffer to Papal encroachment in the region.16 However, the Bulgarian
archon17, Boris I, was shrewd, and used the Byzantine efforts to convert Bulgaria to his own
advantage. He was able to both begin the process of creating a national identity and solidify his

14

Ibid., 174.
Collin Wells, Sailing from Byzantium: How a Lost Empire Shaped the World (New York: Bantam Dell, 2007),
188. The Russians had begun raiding Byzantine land around 860 AD.
16
Ibid., 188.
17
A Greek word that means ruler or lord.
15

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position as his countrys ruler, which would ultimately help the Bulgarians resist Byzantium and
even aid the newly Christian country in occupying more land nominally held by the Empire. 18
The rise of Bulgaria and its conflicts with Byzantium are well documented, but are often
left by the wayside in favor of the Byzantine conflicts with the Arab world. To this extent,
historians, like Ostrogorsky, Norwich, and Treadgold, have simply chalked up the conflict that
occurred between the two nations to one of proximity. By occupying land in such close
proximity to each other, these historians argue that the nations were bound to clash over
resources and overlapping claims to the land. However, others, Luttwak and Wells among them,
have attempted to examine the relationship of the two nations from a different angle, widening
the lens, so to speak. Their research has revealed that the Byzantine Empire, which relied so
heavily on diplomatic influence to manipulate other nations into doing its bidding, attempted to
do just the same with the Bulgarians. When that tactic did not work, the Byzantines then chose to
manipulate their neighbors in a different way, by converting them to Christianity. In doing so,
the Byzantines created an entity that was so similar to themselves that it was able to challenge
them not just for the Balkans, but for the Byzantine throne.
The conflict between the Byzantine Empire and the Empire of Bulgaria would ultimately
reach new heights following the Bulgarian conversion to Christianity. To further understand this
trend, a proper understanding of the relationship between the Byzantine Empire and Tsardom of
Bulgaria during this particular time frame is required before one can continue to analyze just
how Byzantiums influence was key in shaping the development of Bulgaria. The Bulgarian ruler
Boris ascended to the throne of Bulgaria in 852 AD, and quickly looked to form an alliance with

18

Wells, Sailing from Byzantium., 196-197.

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the Eastern Frankish King Louis the German (r. 843-876). During this process, Boris had
suggested to Louis that he desired to convert to Christianity. Hoping not only to gain favor with
Rome but also an ally in the Balkans to help combat the Moravians, Louis offered to be Boris
baptismal sponsor.19 While it looked at this point like the Bulgarians would be converting to a
Christianity influenced by the West (and therefore under the authority of the Bishop of Rome),
the Byzantines launched an offensive into Bulgarian territory, their first since the expiration of
the thirty year peace treaty in 845 AD. This offensive caught the Bulgarians completely off
guard, and in addition to recapturing territory once lost to the Bulgarians, the Byzantines forced
Boris to be baptized under the Emperor Michael III, effectively placing the Bulgarians in the
Eastern Christian tradition.20
The conversion of Bulgaria also marks the creation of what became known as the Law
Code for the Common People. This law code, written in Bulgarian, traces its roots from a
portion of the Byzantine Ecloga, which was written by the Emperors Leo III and Constantine V
of Isuria in 726 AD.21 While the judicial segment of the Bulgarian version of the laws are heavily
influenced by their Byzantine counterpart, there is an abundance of additional content that, in a
way, modifies the laws. Specifically, there is an incredibly prevalent inclusion of religious
punishments included in the Law Code for the Common People. It is in this way that the
Bulgarians were able to prevent themselves from assimilating into Byzantine culture: by using
Christianity to bring unity to their nation, they were able to place a heavy emphasis on religious

19

Florin Curta, Southeastern Europe in the Middle Ages 500-1250 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006),
166-7.
20
Ibid., 168. This is obviously what we know today as the Orthodox Church.
21
Monumenta Bulgarica, trans. Thomas Butler (Ann Arbor: Michigan Slavic Publications, 1996), 71.

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customs as they related to their society, creating a blend of legal and religious law unique from
Byzantium. In the Byzantine Ecloga, article 29 of Chapter 17 states:
Anyone who seduces a virgin, with her consent, but without the
knowledge of her parents, and afterwards they know it, if the
seducer wishes to take the girl in marriage, and the parents
consent, the union shall be effected. But if in the circumstances the
seducer does not wish to marry the girl, and he is a man of means,
he shall give the seduced girl a pound weight of gold; and if he is
poor he shall give the half of his property. But if he has no
property at all and cannot pay a penalty he shall be flogged,
tonsured and exiled.22
In comparison, article 8 of the Bulgarian Law Code for the Common People states:
Whoever has intercourse with a chaste maiden, and without the
permission of her parents, and afterwards they are found out: if he
wishes to take her and her parents agree, let there be a marriage.
But if for any reason he shall not want it, if he has a decent fortune
let him give the girl on liter of gold for her shame, that is seventytwo stljaz pieces. If he is well-off, let him give her half his
property. If he is a pauper, let the judges of the land flog him and
send him away from their province. He is also liable to a penance
of seven years, as we have written.23

Article 25 of Chapter 17 states:

Anyone who, intending to take in marriage a woman who is his
goddaughter in Salvation-bringing baptism, has carnal knowledge
of her without marrying her, and being found guilty of the offense,
shall, after being exiled, be condemned to the same punishment
meted out for other adultery, that is to say both the man and the
woman shall have their noses slit.24
Whereas article 7 of the Bulgarian Law Code for the Common People states:
He who takes his co-godparent as his wife: according to civil law
they should both have their noses cut off and be separated, and
according to cannon law they should be separated and given a
penance of fifteen years. And the order of that penance is as
22

A Manual of Roman Law: The Ecloga Published by the Emperors Leo III and Constantine V of Isauria at
Constantinople A.D. 726, trans. Edwin Hanson Freshfield (Cambridge: University Press, 1926), 110.
23
Monumenta Bulgarica, 77.
24
The Ecloga., 109.

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follows: they should stand outside five years, weeping and
listening to the liturgy; four years inside the church until the holy
gospel; three more years until the Creed; three more years until the
end of the liturgy. And all that time on bread and water. And so
having finished their sentences, in the sixteenth year they may take
everything. He who takes his own goddaughter should suffer the
same penalty, as well as he who has congress with a married
woman.25
Articles 40 and 41 of the Ecloga state:
Anyone setting fire to another persons forest or cutting down trees
out of it shall be condemned to make twofold restitution.
Those who with malice, or for plunder, commit arson in town,
shall be burned; and if out of town they willfully commit arson,
either of the country, fields, or country houses, they shall be
punished capitally with the sword. And if anyone wishes to burn
stubble or thistles in his own field, and sets them alight, and the
fire spreads beyond bounds and burns the fields or vines of another
person, the matter shall be referred to the magistrates; and if the
fire spread by ignorance or carelessness, compensation shall be
made to the person who suffered; and if by day a high wind blows
on the kindled fire, and no precaution had been taken to prevent
the fire from spreading, the offender shall be condemned by law
for indifference and negligence. But if every precaution is taken
and a violent wind happens to blow and in consequence of it the
fire spreads about, the person lighting it shall not be condemned by
law.26
On the other hand, article 15 of the Bulgarian Law Code for the Common
People states:
Whoever, because of some grudge or to plunder some property,
sets fire to a building: if it be in a town let him be burned by fire,
and if it be in a settlement or village let him be cut down with the
sword. But if he is tried by ecclesiastical law, let him be given a
twelve-year penance, because he is an enemy. If someone wishing
to burn stalks or thorn bushes in his own field, lights a fire and that
same fire spreads, setting fire to anothers field or vineyard, it is
appropriate to bring him to trial and to investigate whether it was
out of ignorance or slow-wittedness that he set that fire, and he has
to pay compensation for what was burned. Or if he should start a
fire on a windy day and doesnt keep after it, telling himself that
the fire wont spread, or if he was lazy or wasnt able to keep after
it, let him pay for the loss. Or if he should keep after it but all in
25

Monumenta Bulgarica, 75.

The Ecloga., 112.

26

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vain, as a wind storm strikes, and because of that the fire spreads
farther, he will not be tried.27
Clearly, these passages are incredibly alike, and therefore it is easy to see the profound influence
that Byzantium had on the foundation and growth of not only the Bulgarian law system, but the
Bulgarian government. It also shows how the Bulgarians were able to adapt this Byzantine
influence to suit their own needs, allowing their nation to flourish and grow. Even prior to Boris
Is conversion to Christianity, cultural diffusion had to have been taken place, and in any event
the Byzantine efforts to manipulate Bulgaria prior to the countrys conversion had the effect of
strengthening the fledging institutions of a newly formed nation, which would ultimately serve to
provide Bulgaria with a sound foundation from which to assert its dominance over the Balkans
and lay claim to Constantinople.
In any event, the conversion of the Bulgarians was not without turbulence, and it
highlights the growing conflict between the Patriarch of Constantinople and the Bishop of Rome.
For when Boris appealed to have his own autonomous Church under his control, the Patriarch of
Constantinople declined Boris request. As a result, Boris sent out emissaries to Pope Nicholas I
(856-867), who in return delivered a lengthy document which addressed Boris concerns pointby-point28. Boris actions can be seen as an attempt by the Bulgarian ruler to escape the growing
influence of the Byzantine Empire over Bulgaria in the form of Greek priests roaming his
country, instilling the notion that the Bulgarians were subservient to the Empire. Nicholas Is
commentary on the authority of the Patriarchs29 proves to be a pivotal point in both East-West

27

Monumenta Bulgarica, 79.

Ibid.,57.
29
In the early Christian Church, the Pentarchy (Greek for Five Rulers) was established. There was the Patriarch in
Rome, who would later become known as the Pope, the Patriarch of Constantinople, the Patriarch of Antioch, the
Patriarch of Jerusalem, and the Patriarch of Alexandria. These Patriarchs would oversee the churches in their
specified regions. The Patriarch of Rome was responsible for Italy, Greece, and North Africa. The Patriarch of
Constantinople was responsible for Thrace and most of Anatolia. The Patriarch of Antioch was responsible for Syria
and Cilicia. The Patriarch of Jerusalem was responsible for Palestine and the Sinai. The Patriarch of Alexandria was
28

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relations and in the amount of influence Byzantium held over the Bulgarian Church. Boris poses
the question as to which Patriarchs carry the most legitimacy, to which Nicholas I answers:
True patriarchs are considered those who hold apostolic thrones as successors of
the pontiffs, i.e., who preside over churches which the apostles established,
namely, the Roman, Alexandrian, and AntiochianThe heads of the churches at
Constantinople and Jerusalem, however, who are called patriarchs, nonetheless do
not have the same authority as the above.30
Nicholas Is delineation of Apostolic succession highlights the ongoing power struggle between
the Pope in Rome and the Patriarch of Constantinople. The origin of the conflict, which actually
led to the two excommunicating each other several times prior to the Great Schism in 1054, lay
in both the question of primacy, and the Iconoclast Controversy, that rocked the Byzantine
Empire for the better part of the eighth and ninth centuries.
Byzantine Iconoclasm can trace its roots to the ascension of the Emperor Leo III the
Isaurian, who came to the throne in 717 AD and was immediately confronted with the Arab
threat at the gates of Constantinople. Although he was able to defeat the Arabs besieging the city,
he still suffered several setbacks at their hands, most notably the loss of Byzantine Armenia to
the Caliphate in 722 AD. Such setbacks by the Byzantines were seen throughout Byzantine
society as Gods divine wrath. It was Leo III who attributed Gods wrath to the veneration of
icons, a practice that was widespread in the Byzantine church. Either in an attempt to try and
curb the political influence that monasteries had accumulated over the centuries or because of
further military setbacks, Leo III sought to limit the use of icons throughout the Empire; he
began by ordering the picture of Christ which hung over the main entrance of the Imperial Palace

responsible for Egypt and Libya. For more, see Milton V. Anastos, Aspect of the Mind of Byzantium (Aldershot:
Ashgate, 2001).
30
Monumenta Bulgarica, 57.

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to be taken down.31 This began what would be the aforementioned century long internal struggle
that would see the Empire decimated from the outside in. More importantly, however, it also
played a major role in souring the relationship between Rome and Constantinople. During Leo
IIIs reign, Rome was still under Byzantine control, as were other parts of Italy, including the
Exarchate of Ravenna. However, the first cracks in Imperial control over the city were seen
when Leo III had attempted to raise taxes in Italy in order to pay for his wars against the Arabs in
Asia Minor. The Pope, Gregory II (715-731), refused to pay these taxes, and from that point on
was nominally independent of the Empire due to Byzantine concentration on their Arab foes.
After Leo III renounced the veneration of icons, however, the ties were permanently severed.
While the clergy in Greece, as well as the Patriarch of Constantinople himself, quietly opposed
the ban of icons, it was Gregory II in Rome who was the most vocal opponent of the move,
publically denouncing the Emperors action. Following this, the soldiers of the Exarchate
revolted against their officers and stopped short of proclaiming their own Emperor only because
the Pope was opposed.32 From this point on, Rome, and the Pope, were completely independent
of the Byzantine Empires influence, and would go on to seek alliances with the Franks of
Western Europe, which would ultimately culminate in the proclamation of the first Western
Emperor in almost four hundred years, in 800 AD.
Pope Nicholas Is statement in regards to the authority of the Patriarch of Constantinople
presented a clear challenge to Byzantine influence in Bulgaria. Boris was delighted by the Popes
answers, and kept regular correspondence with Rome, even after the events of the synod33 of
Basil I that sought to reunify the Churches. During the synod, a Bulgarian delegation questioned

31

Treadgold, Byzantine State and Society, 352.

Ibid.,, 352.
33
A council of the church
32

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whether they owed their allegiance to the Patriarch of Constantinople or the Pope in Rome. The
Patriarch Ignatius appointed an archbishop to Bulgaria, amid protests from the Papal delegation,
and the bishop Nicholas I had sent to Bulgaria was soon overthrown.34 It seemed that Byzantium
was victorious in influencing Bulgaria and winning the battle with Rome over who had
dominance over the Bulgarian Church. However, the stipulation that the archbishop of Bulgaria
would enjoy a great degree of autonomy would pave the way for Bulgaria to escape Byzantine
influence in the coming centuries and would then seek to dominate the Empire.
After a period of instability following the retirement of Boris and the ascension of his son
Vladimir, who attempted to reintroduce paganism to Bulgaria, Vladimirs brother and Boris
younger son Symeon took the Bulgarian throne.35 Symeon had been sent to Constantinople in his
youth to study under the theologians of the time and was ultimately supposed to become a
prominent figure in the Bulgarian church. However, his rule would usher in a golden age for
Bulgaria, seeing his land expand deep into Byzantine territory and even threaten Constantinople
itself. Although he had been raised and educated in Constantinople, he was by no means
sympathetic toward Byzantium. In fact, he was an adamant proponent of an independent
Bulgarian Church, and even went so far as to appoint native Bulgarian clergy as well as replaced
Greek with Slavonic as the official language of both the Bulgarian State and Church.36 Up until
that point, Greek had been the language of the Bulgarian Church, providing Byzantium with a
form of influence over the nation. However, Symeons change helped to further instill a sense of
Bulgarian identity separate from Byzantium.

34

Curta, Southeastern Europe, 171-3.

Ibid.,, 177.
36
Treadgold, Byzantine State and Society, 463.
35

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In 913 AD, Symeon had launched an invasion into Byzantine territory, showing up at the
gates of Constantinople with an army that was prepared to lay siege to the great city. This was in
retaliation for the Byzantines refusing to pay Bulgaria the yearly tribute they were promised in
897 AD.37 According to the Theophanes Continuatus, a collection of chronicles of Byzantine
history that were modeled after the way Theophanes the Confessor wrote his history of
Byzantium, Symeon is referred to as archon. This distinction in his title will have increased
significance in later writings from the Theophanes Continuatus.38 Symeon demands an audience
with the Emperor, but since Constantine VII was but a small child, the Patriarch Nicholas (901907, 912-925), the boy-Emperors regent, was left to deal with the situation. Thus, it was the
Patriarch who, in order to come to an agreement for the resumption of payment of the tribute,
went out to negotiate with Symeon39. The Theophanes Continuatus makes mention that the
Patriarch went out to meet with Symeon and placed his own epirrhiptarion40 instead of the
crown (stemma)on Symeons head.41 The text makes a clear distinction between the
epirrhiptarion and the crown, which could imply that this was done for symbolic but also for
manipulative reasons. To the Byzantines, it was a validation to Symeon that, as a Christian who
followed the Eastern tradition, he derived all power to rule from the Patriarch of Constantinople,
and was thus subservient to the Byzantine Empire. However, this was not how Symeon
interpreted it, and upon his return to Bulgaria, he began to style himself as the Emperor (Greek
basileus) of Bulgaria. Symeons aspirations did not cease there, however.42

37

Curta, Southeastern Europe, 225.

Theophanes Continuatus: The Ascension of Constantine VII and the Coronation of Symeon of Bulgaria, AD
913, http://www.paulstephenson.info/trans/theocont1.html.
39
Treadgold, Byzantine State and Society, 473.
40
The traditional black veil of the patriarchal headgear.
41
Theophanes Continuatus 913.
42
Curta, Southeastern Europe, 225.
38

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The Bulgarian Tsar Symeon amended his title upon returning to Bulgaria, styling himself
as Emperor of the Bulgarians and Romans.43 The language used in the text is tricky: it could
very well be claimed that by styling himself in such a way, Symeon was trying to further
legitimize his claims to lands that had previously belonged to the Byzantines in an attempt to
appease the large Byzantine population under Bulgarian rule. However, the term in the text used
to identify the people Symeon claimed power over, Christianoi, refers strictly to the term
Romaioi, which is the term that the Byzantines used to refer to themselves (since the term
Byzantine Empire is a modern creation used to describe the Eastern Roman Empire). Indeed, it
has been asserted that Symeon laid claims to the Byzantine throne when he first attempted to lay
siege to Constantinople in 913.44 After adopting these titles, Symeon then proceeded to launch an
invasion into Byzantine territory, seeking to besiege Constantinople once again. A force under
the Byzantine Admiral Roman Lekapenos was supposed to support the army of Leo Phokas, and
also to shuttle the Pechenegs, a group of semi-nomadic Turks, across the River Danube to aid in
the fighting against the Bulgarians.45 However, Phokas and Lekapenos quarreled over trivial
matters and the Pechenegs refused to enter their service, instead choosing to attack the
Bulgarian-held territory that lay north of the River Danube instead.46 Lekapenos and Phokas
disagreement led to the Bulgarians engaging Phokas forces near Achelous (a small city now
located in modern-day Bulgaria). Phokas army was completely routed by Symeons, and the
magistros47 himself barely escaped for his life, fleeing to Mesembria.48

Theophanes Continuatus: Symeon of Bulgaria wins the Battle of Acheloos, 917,

http://www.paulstephenson.info/trans/theocont2.html.
44
Treadgold, Byzantine State and Society, 473.
45
Theophanes Continuatus, 917.
46
Treadgold, Byzantine State and Society, 475.
47
Magistrate
48
Theophanes Continuatus, 917.
43

18
Symeon, so invigorated by this crushing victory, drove further southward, toward
Constantinople, intent on laying siege to the city and claiming Byzantium for himself. At the
very least, he demanded that his daughter be married to the young Emperor Constantine VII,
who by this time was still not ready to rule on his own. The Empress Zoe, who had assumed
power over the Patriarch Nicholas in a coup in 914, refused Symeons demands, and so the
Bulgarian ruler proceeded to attempt to lay siege to Constantinople. He was, however, briefly
preoccupied with the Serbs who, at Byzantiums insistence, attacked Bulgaria. As a result, he
was forced to divert his attention from attempting to capture Constantinople until he could first
topple the Serbian kingdom.49 Nevertheless, the implications of Symeons expedition and his
ability to so thoroughly manhandle the Byzantine armies thrown at him would ultimately set the
stage for a confrontation between Symeon and the soon-to-be crowned, extremely capable
Byzantine Emperor Romanos I Lekapenos.
While Symeon was busy fighting to subjugate Serbia, the Empress Zoes power was
fading quickly in Constantinople. Leo Phokas, who earlier had escaped death at the disastrous
Battle of Achelous in 917 AD, and his brother-in-law, Constantine, who was the grand
chamberlain, were rumored to be plotting to overthrow young Constantine VII. 50 This prompted
a certain Theodore, who was the young Emperors tutor, to call upon Romanos Lekapanos, who
previously had played an indirect role in handing the Byzantines their defeat at Achelous, to help
in protect Constantine VII. The admiral arrived at Constantinople and put an end to the supposed
coup, arresting the grand chamberlain. Whilst this was occurring, the Patriarch Nicholas was
once again restored as regent over the Empress Zoe at Theodores suggestion. Nicholas in turn

49
50

Treadgold, Byzantine State and Society, 473-5.

Ibid., 475.

19
deposed Leo Phokas, who in turn looked to Romanos Lekapenos to rectify the situation.
Lekapenos, however, had different plans. Sailing to the Imperial Palace, he took control, and
married his daughter Helen off to Constantine VII, assuming the title of basilepator51as a
result.52
The deposed Leo Phokas, upon hearing of this and realizing that his own aspirations were
evaporating before him, rose in revolt under the pretense of liberating Constantine VII from the
influence of Lekapenos.53 However, Phokas revolt was short lived. The forces that he had
initially amassed were deserting him and pledging their loyalty to the basilepator, and eventually
he was captured and blinded. With his primary rival out of the way, Romanos sought to solidify
his position of power, first by having Zoe put into a monastery after, he claimed, she attempted
to poison him.54 Once Zoe was out of the way, Romanos turned his attention to Theodore, the
very man behind Lekapenos rise to power. Ultimately, Constantine VIIs tutor was exiled on
charges of conspiracy.55 It finally seemed that Romanos Lekapenos position was secure.
However, there was one final step that the Armenian chose to take: in the fall of 920 AD,
Romanos Lekapenos had Constantine VII and the Patriarch Nicholas proclaim him Emperor,
effectively usurping power from the legitimate Emperor.56
By this time, the self-titled Bulgarian basileus Symeon had completed his incursion into
Serbia, establishing a pro-Bulgarian puppet on the Serbian throne. Upon returning to Bulgaria, he
received word that Romanos I Lekapenos had married his daughter Helen to Constantine VII and
Literally father of the Emperor, one who became basilepator was generally regarded as the Emperors most
senior advisor. The term was first granted to Stylianus Zautes, father of the Emperor Leo VIs mistress, Zoe, in 893
AD. For more, see Treadgold, Byzantine State and Society, 945.
52
Norwich, The Apogee, 136.
53
Ibid., 136.
54
Treadgold, Byzantine State and Society, 476.
55
Ibid., 476.
56
Ibid., 476.
51

20
flew into a rage, believing that he had been denied his rightful position of basilepator. He was
further enraged that another had risen to the rank of Emperor of the Romans, a title he also
claimed. Thus, Symeon amassed a force of Bulgarians and marched on Constantinople, intent on
taking the city and having himself crowned as basileus. Acting with great haste and urgency,
Romanos I once again stirred up a revolt in Serbia, forcing the Bulgarian basileus to once more
turn his attention away from his ultimate goal, for the time being. This brought Romanos only a
limited amount of time, however, as by 922 AD Symeon was back in Byzantine territory, as far
south as the Hellespont.57 The Bulgarian basileus went on to defeat a large Byzantine army near
Stenum (modern-day Istinye), and proceeded to ravage the entire surrounding countryside. Then,
in 923 AD, he recaptured Adrianople, and tortured the citys governor to death.58 It seemed that
once more, Symeon would be marching his soldiers to the Theodosian Walls, seeking to capture
what had so far eluded him. For his part, the Emperor Romanos I had done everything in his
power to secure peace with Symeon since the former had ascended to the throne in 920 AD.
However, any negotiation that the Emperor would bring to Symeon would be rejected, and any
negotiation that Symeon would bring to the Emperor began and ended with Romanos Is
abdication of the Byzantine throne.59 Thus, as these talks broke down, Symeon gathered the
largest force he possibly could, and in 924 AD, embarked on one final, epic siege of
Constantinople.
Where Symeon had failed in the past, he sought to succeed in the present. In order to do
so, he had to secure naval help to truly surround, and ultimately starve out, the city. It was for
this reason that Symeon opened a dialogue with the Fatimid Caliph in North Africa. He hoped to

57

Norwich, The Apogee, 142.

Ibid., 142.
59
Ibid., 142.
58

21
make use of the Caliphates navy, for the reasons discussed above. Initially, the two sides
seemed to be close to reaching an agreement, but when the Fatimid Caliph sent a delegation back
to Symeon to further discuss the finer details of the two states accord, it was captured by the
Byzantine navy.60 To ensure that the Fatimids would not be a future threat to the Empire,
Emperor Romanos I sent them a hefty tribute, much larger than anything that Symeon could
hope to provide, effectively buying their loyalty from the Bulgarians.61 By this point in time,
Symeon had amassed a large force, and despite the setback, or perhaps even because of it, he
moved his forces southward, to begin a siege of Constantinople once more.62
After laying waste to Macedonia and Thrace, Bulgarian basileus Symeon had settled in to
his siege of Constantinople. According to the Theophanes Continuatus, the Byzantines sought to
negotiate with Symeon, and sent the Patriarch Nicholas and several nobles out to discuss peace
with the Bulgarian. Upon receiving the Byzantine delegates, however, Symeon sent them back to
Constantinople, demanding an audience with Emperor Romanos I himself.63 Symeons demands
signify the position of power that he held over the Byzantine Empire. As if to underscore his
demand to negotiate only with Romanos I, Symeon razed the Church of the All-Holy Virgin,
originally built by the Emperor Justinian I, to the ground, along with a palace at Pege, which was
a supposed favorite of the Emperor.64 Eventually, an agreement was agreed upon that established
a meeting time and place for the rulers to negotiate a peace treaty. Once the destination had been
searched by the Bulgarians to ensure that there were no traps or ambushes, and the proper
hostages had been exchanged by both sides, the two rulers, each with a contingency of soldiers,

60

Treadgold, Byzantine State and Society, 478.

Norwich, The Apogee, 143.
62
Treadgold, Byzantine State and Society, 478.
63
Theophanes Continuatus: The Peace Agreed Between Romanos Lekapenos and Symeon of Bulgaria, AD 924,
http://www.paulstephenson.info/trans/theocont3.html
64
Norwich, The Apogee, 142
61

22
finally met on the 9th of November, 924 AD.65 Interestingly enough, and quite telling of the
status of Bulgaria in relation to Byzantium, is the way in which the Byzantines addressed
Symeon. They acclaimed him emperor in the language of the Romans says the Theophanes
Continuatus; a dramatic shift from how the Bulgarian ruler had previous been styled by the
Byzantines (as an archon, or ruler). What this tells us is that by this point in time, it had become
apparent to the Byzantine Empire that the Bulgaria was, at the very least, politically and
militarily on par with the Empire.
The negotiations between Romanos I Lekapenos and Symeon culminated in the
Byzantine Empire recognizing the independence of the Bulgarian Church from the yoke of the
Patriarch of Constantinople, thus officially creating the autocephalous Patriarchy of Bulgaria.66
The Peace of 924 AD also saw the restoration of the Byzantine tribute to Bulgaria, which was
more or less the same amount as the tribute of 897 AD.67 However, despite Romanos I and the
rest of the Byzantines addressing Symeon as basileus at the onset of the negotiations, the Peace
of 924 AD did not address the status of the Bulgarian ruler. Indeed, this question went
unanswered until the death of Symeon in 927 AD, and his young son Peter ascended to the
Bulgarian throne. Peter was, however, still too young to govern on his own, and so his uncle,
George Sursuvul, was appointed as his regent. Sursuvul continued the anti-Byzantine policies
that his brother-in-law had pursued.68 Under his authority, Bulgarian forces conducted raids of
the Thracian and Macedonian themata. These forces even went so far as to raze several towns in
Thrace to the ground.69 The raids apparently sent the Byzantine populace in and around

Theophanes Continuatus: 924 AD.

Curta, Southeastern Europe, 227.
67
Ibid., 227.
68
Ibid., 227.
69
Ibid., 227.
65
66

23
Macedonia and Thrace into a panicked frenzy.70 Upon hearing the news of the Bulgarian raiders,
Emperor Romanos I prepared to set out with an army to confront them. However, before he did
so, George Sursuvul sent emissaries to Romanos, offering to negotiate a last peace treaty.71
Romanos, eager to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, agreed to meet with Sursuvul to discuss the
possibility of peace.
The peace agreement that would eventually be agreed upon by the Emperor Romanos I
and Bulgarian regent George Sursuvul would solidify once and for all the positon of Bulgaria as
an equal (or possible superior) of the Byzantine Empire. Sursuvul, having arrived in
Constantinople to negotiate, demanded that the young Bulgarian ruler Peter be married to Maria
Lekapene, the daughter of Romanos son and co-emperor Christopher. In addition, the Byzantine
Empire would continue its payment of tribute to Bulgaria, once again along the lines of the
tribute established in 897 AD. Futhermore, Peter would drop Emperor of the Romans from his
title only if Romanos recognized him as Emperor of the Bulgarians. While Peter would be giving
up his claim to the Empire, he would be gaining official recognition of his own.72 Romanos
agreed to this peace treaty, and Sursuvul wrote to the young Peter, urging him to travel quickly
to Constantinople, for the two nations had, it seemed, finally reached a peace agreement that
appealed to both sides.73 Peter thus made haste to Constantinople, and upon the arrival of the
young Bulgarian basileus, Emperor Romanos I went forth and greeted him in peace. With Peter
now present, the peace negotiations were formalized, with both rulers signing the treaty. 74
Following the signing of the treaty, the two rulers also officially agreed upon the marriage

Theophanes Continuatus: The Marriage Between Tsar Peter of Bulgaria and Maria Lekapena, AD 927,
http://www.paulstephenson.info/trans/theocont5.html.
71
Thophanes Continuatus: 924.
72
Curta, Southeastern Europe, 227.
73
Thophanes Continuatus: 924.
74
Ibid.
70

24
contract that had been drawn up by Romanos and Sursuvul. On the 8th of October, 927 AD, the
Byzantines held the beginning of a multiple-day celebration. The Byzantine Senate, along with
the entire royal family, and the Patriarch Stephen II (925-928) went forth along with Peter,
George Sursuvul, and the rest of the Bulgarian contingent, to the Church of the All-Holy Mother
of God in Pege (which had, it seems, been rebuilt since it was razed by Symeon in 924 AD).75
There, the Patriarch Stephen performed the marriage rite, and the celebration began. The
significance of this marriage was two-fold. First, it affirmed the Bulgarian rulers equal standing
to Byzantium. The Theophanes Continuatus says that Maria rejoiced that she had been given an
emperor for a husband, once more signifying a shift in the way Bulgaria was viewed even by the
most biased Byzantine writers. It also demonstrated the power that Bulgaria wielded over
Byzantium. During a feast on the second day of the celebration, the Bulgarians took issue with
the fact that Constantine VII had been introduced and formally placed before the co-Emperor
Christopher Lekapenos, Romanos Is son. The Byzantines, for the remainder of the celebrations,
responded by placing Christopher ahead of Constantine VII in all events and formalities.76 On
the surface, this change seems superficial; however, the Bulgarians had forced the Byzantines to
promote Christopher, the son of a usurper to the throne, over Constantine VII, the only Emperor
to have any legitimate claim to the Byzantine throne. The ability of the Bulgarians to make such
a demand and how it was realized reflects changing relationship between the two states.
Bulgaria would ultimately wind up losing its influence in the Balkans as it was struck by
internal conflicts, a string of weak leaders, plague and famine. Eventually, the Byzantines, under
the warrior-Emperor John I Tzimiskes annexed most of western Bulgaria in 971 AD.77 It would

Thophanes Continuatus: 924.

Ibid.
77
Treadgold, Byzantine State and Society, 509.
75
76

25
ultimately fall to Basil II, the child of Constantine VII, the legitimate Byzantine Emperor who
was overshadowed by Romanos I Lekapenos, to complete the conquest of Bulgaria, in 1018
AD.78 While this would spell the end of the First Tsardom of Bulgaria, the nation would rise
again, and by the time of the Fourth Crusade in 1204 AD, would once more be a prominent
player in the politics of the Balkans.
Bulgaria had accomplished, in the short span of time between Boris Is conversion to
Orthodox Christianity and the ascension of Tsar Peter I, in bringing the Byzantine Empire to its
knees. Although the decline of Byzantiums influence in the Balkans was apparent even prior to
the Islamic invasions of 636 AD, yet the Empire had always been incredibly adept at
manipulating and bribing various tribes and countries to do their bidding. When the Avars laid
siege to Constantinople in 626 AD, the Byzantines did what they had always done: paid off
another tribe to attack the Avars, alleviating the siege and allowing for the two tribes to war
amongst themselves, to Byzantiums gain. However, no one could have foreseen that this tribe of
Bulghars would settle down and assume regional power in the subsequent power vacuum. Nor
could anyone have foreseen that, despite Byzantiums best attempts at influencing these
tribesmen, they would not only take and learn from the Empire, but be able to use the influence
to foster a sense of identity separate from their influence. This ultimately allowed them to rise to
a position where they, as Bulgarians, were able to claim the throne of Byzantium, and dictate
Byzantine policy in the Balkans. Byzantine writings of the time avoid coming right out and
addressing the fact that Bulgaria was able to hand the Empire several political and military
defeats, yet in the writings of scholars, like Theophanes the Confessor and his successors, there
exists a subtle admission of Bulgarian superiority in the verbiage used in their chronicles.

78

Treadgold, Byzantine State and Society, 528.

26
Ultimately, these events are reflective of the lack of Byzantine foresight when it came to exerting
influence over neighboring states.

27
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